greenurban101

[sparklecryptid]

For the CorNyx prompts: Cor needs to bring a date to something, and Nyx happens to be free

The Citadel hosts enough events that Cor privately thinks of wringing Regis’ neck every time he and Clarus are put in charge of the security of yet another gala or charity auction that could take place literally anywhere else. It’s annoying to have to figure out logistics and do background checks on each one of the intended guests before the invitations even go out.

Which is to say, spring and summer is the time of year where Cor wonders if it’s too early to retire and leave the Crownsguard to someone else.

The current event is one Cor dreads each time it appears on the social calendar. It is an event that requires he dress up and play nice with people he would much rather have Clarus deal with than deal with himself. Every year Cor has to deal with nobility and etiquette that he never bothered to learn and will never learn just because it makes Clarus sigh whenever Cor commits a faux-pas.

The event to honour the Crownsguard is a stupid one as far as Cor is concerned but it is one that he is not allowed to skip as he is one of the few public facing members of the Crownsguard.

Cor has to stand and pretend to be interested in whatever Lord So-So has to say and fend off more than one proposition to spend the night with Lady Who-Gives-A-Shit and Lord I-Only-Know-Your-Name-Because-You’re-A-Security-Risk.

“If you don’t want to find polite ways to turn people down, find a date,” Regis had said as he looked over the guest list of the nth time.

For once, Regis made sense. Which is what leads to him picking the lock to Nyx’s apartment (if Nyx gave him a key this wouldn’t be an issue but Nyx seems to take far too much delight in installing more complex locks for Cor to pick) and wandering inside without permission.

Nyx is home and looks at Cor like Cor is a stray cat that Nyx has grown fond of.

“You could have knocked,” Nyx points out.

“I need a date,” Cor says and feels pleased with himself as Nyx blinks once, twice before making an amused noise in the back of his throat.

“Can’t get the Captain to do it?”

Cor makes a face. Titus is the last person Cor wants to ask to be his date.

Nyx laughs. The corner of his eyes wrinkling with mirth.

“Alright,” Nyx says as he settles down, “I assume there will be free food?”

“And drinks.”

“You have a date then.”

-

Cor has prepared for many things in his life. He has prepared for war, for being stranded in Niflheim with no backup. Cor prides himself on being ready for almost anything.

Then he sees Nyx wearing a suit and his brain spreads too long turning to mush for Cor to do anything else but stare.

Nyx has always been attractive, Cor knows this. He has seen men and women flirt with Nyx and he has seen Nyx flirt back. It has never bothered him. Why would it? The two of them are friends.

But Nyx is here in a suit that fits him all too well and Cor is staring and debating whether or not Nyx will take offence if Cor asks if they can go back to his place.

He thinks Nyx would, if only because Cor promised him free food.

Nyx smiles when he catches Cor staring, a roguish grin that suits his face a little too perfectly.

“Like what you see?”

“Shut up,” Cor says and will deny that the tips of his ears are pink, “You look good.”

“I should hope so, this is the only suit I have.”

I’ll get you another one, Cor thinks and does not say because Nyx would punch him if he did.

It’s hard to deny his attraction to Nyx. It’s harder to deny it later when the two of them are in one of the gardens the Citadel opened to the public for this event and all Cor wants to do is kiss him.

Nyx is radiant, eyes bright as he tells Cor about something stupid Libertus did when they were children. A hint of wistfulness at the edge of Nyx’s smile as he moves his hands while he talks.

Cor really wants to kiss him.

“Cor, you alright?” Nyx asks with concern coating his voice.

“Yes,” Cor replies immediately, “No. I want to kiss you.”

Nyx flushes at that and Cor wonders if he’s overstepped, if he’s been reading the signals from the past mont wrong but then Nyx looks at him and asks:

“Why don’t you?”

Cor wastes no time in grabbing Nyx by the collar of his stupid suit and kissing him.

[anewbeginningagain]

As sloppy as they were at times, Khuda/Bazin are so much better than team Nepotism #1 and #2 and to think they don’t have any GP assignments while team nepotism #1 has two and #2 has one. Legit shame on RusFed for this one.

[secret-engima]

Nox keeps giving the media meltdowns. How's that, y'know, working out for him? And what's the general reaction around the Citadel crew to the media circus? Also, how do people feel when they realize exactly how /powerful/ Nox is?

Hmmm for the most part, Nox is ... ambivalent to how many times he sends the media into a tizzy. He’s got memories of 2k worth of royalty and scandals, he remembers the invention of media networks and sometimes dreams of the invention of the flipping printing press. There is literally nothing they can say about him that he doesn’t already have memories of somehow. Honestly, it’s .... alternately tiring and hilarious to him. He kinda wishes people would take a chill pill, but on the other hand, since Regis would never force him to deal with the media circus unless Nox willingly agreed to it, he doesn’t particularly care. At least until he wants to- you know- leave the Citadel and go literally anywhere in Insomnia and Then It Becomes A Problem (Nox misses the days he was just a nobody with earrings and baggy clothes. So much). Though, since he knows that nothing he can do or not do will calm them down, he does occasionally indulge in intentionally poking them with a proverbial stick.

By Citadel crew I’m uncertain to if you mean Regis and Co + Chocobros or the long-suffering Citadel press corps, so I will just do both-

-Regis feels So Very Sorry for his eldest. He knows he couldn’t keep Nox a secret forever, but he honestly had ... hoped it wouldn’t get this bad. He’s afraid for a while that the media things will depress Nox or make him afraid to leave the Citadel/angry at being Regis’s son, but Nox just rolls his eyes at everything and ignores the media hounds with catlike ease (by which I mean he spaces out into the distance with a neutral expression and occasionally does the human version of pushing things off other things to distract them).

-Clarus knew this was coming. He knew it was going to get so much worse when Axis’s existence came out (it did). He ... would feel bad about this but this is just- royal/celebrity life. This is a slightly more hysterical version of normal. Honestly it’s the noble society he’s more worried about (he realizes quickly that his fears are unfounded, for a kid who’s been unknown for years he can verbally tear nobles to shreds with the best of them. Clearly a talent inherited from the Izunia side of his heritage).

-Cor hates the media. Always has, always will. No time for it. Not after all the stuff they threw out about him becoming a Crownsguard and then alter their role in cementing his hated Immortal title. Is fully waiting and ready for Nox to get mad enough at the media to condone Cor going out and doing Something Stupid And Maybe Bloody about it. Unfortunately, Nox never does, so Cor has to just sit and seethe and occasionally laugh evilly over Nox’s latest trolling behavior.

-Noctis doesn’t even know about the media storm for   y e a r s. He’s the bby Crown Prince, you really think anyone is gonna let this kid watch the news channels and the gossip talk shows? No sir. Not on Ignis’s watch. Noctis DOES hear about it at school though, with students bugging him about it and even TEACHERS side-eyeing him like they expect something Dramatic to happen. Noctis eventually gets sick of it and punches another student in the face probably. Ignis is scandalized, Regis tries to gently explain that no, Noctis cannot throw someone in dungeon because they said nasty things about Nox and no he is not explaining what those nasty things mean.

-Ignis is ashamed to look back and realize that he once bought into about 80% of the media meltdown over Nox. Now that he knows Nox better, he knows that none of it is remotely true and the world is not going to turn Game of Thrones on him. Now he’s ... very insulted on Nox’s behalf, but understands that it is not his place to intervene (though he does give patented Frosty Looks at any reporters that come sniffing around the Citadel forever after).

-Gladio does not watch conventional TV. He watches action blockbusters that have explosions, documentaries on wildlife/camping/hunting/sword-making and Iris’s favorite show about magical girls and talking, rainbow colored Chocobo companions when she makes the puppy eyes at him. That’s it. Is ... nominally aware of news and social media having fits over Nox but Does Not Care so long as they don’t bother Nox and nobody actually tries anything against Noctis’s big brother.

-Citadel press corps kinda hates Nox’s guts. On one hand, he is a Model Prince because he doesn’t go out and get drunk, doesn’t have wild parties, doesn’t have any actual scandals that they need to cover up or spin positively. On the other ... refuses to do press conferences. Refuses to do interviews. Refuses to do anything to help them mitigate the media meltdowns that his mere existence causes (and the events of the Music Drabble I have yet to write, OH BOY do they hate him for that). Just- hides in the Citadel and only makes appearances when it’s a mandatory ball/gala/thing or when he’s accidentally unleashing another media Meltdown. Agrees to one (1) private interview when he’s 18 and even then it’s ONLY if he can talk to some random, unknown rookie who runs a gossip column. They, by turns, want to strangle him and praise his existence, but at least he isn’t as bad as Regis and Clarus were in their day.

-It- would take a long time for people to really know how powerful Nox is. Like- out in the wilds of Lucis proper? There ARE people who know he’s way stronger than he lets on (the Hunter Corps and their families that he’s saved a bunch of times, plus everybody in Hammerhead who politely pretended Cid wasn’t housing the Nif Chancellor and his LC nephew for two years). The Hunter Corps, out of everyone, have the best idea of just what Nox is capable of, because they’ve ... put together a few things over the years. Like how Nox usually crops up in the area a day or so before a Niflheim base gets shredded/blown up/otherwise Wrecked™ for seemingly no reason. But his Real Power? That ... I’m honestly not sure how that would come out.

-But hypothetically, sure, let’s say something happened that made Nox go Full Fury on some poor hapless Nif soul (or army, probably an army). I’m gonna picture ... a Incident with a Kingsglaive held area. Nox is out there for like an official inspection or something, one of the Very Few media things he ever agrees to, when there’s a full on attack. While the poor Media People who are live streaming this freak out and the glaive get ready for a slaughter, Nox just- real calmly orders the glaive to Stay In the Base and keep an eye on the media people. Calmly walks out the base gate without so much as a by your leave and starts limp-striding his way toward the Impending Invasion of Death, Axis right at his side, just as calm (Axis knows what’s coming after all). Some glaives try to follow him because Obviously only to smack face first into - a Wall. A genuine magic Wall like the one encircling Insomnia.

-The entire Lucian nation plus whatever non-Lucian channels manage to pick this up get a livestream view of Nox raising a mini Wall around the base to keep everyone safe, then casually strolling out toward the Invasion force and just-

-Decimating it.

-About halfway between the invasion force and the base, Nox stops and raises a hand to the sky, a sword appears in his grip, and everyone present can feel magical pressure suddenly build-build-build until the air turns blue (the Wall keeps everyone inside safe from the intensity of the pressure except Axis, who doesn’t need it, he is Nox’s Shield and Nox will never hurt him). The Nifs release their war Behemoths on the field, gunships are coming in for the kill, and then-

-His sword sweeps down and the world shakes under the force of the pure energy wave that rises from his blade, sweeping across the distance between him and the enemy and either breaking, scattering, or straight up disintegrating anything in its path. An imperial dreadnought splits in half and then breaks into dozens upon dozens of pieces, the war-beasts caught in the path of the wave are just- gone. So are the MT units and gunships.

-Ever seen the upgraded armiger attacks from the Royal Version of FFXV? Yeah, picture those, but cranked up to eleven. Or just picture those and then imagine being an ordinary civilian seeing that for the first time. Ghostly blades whirling around Nox’s form, defending him from bullets and debris only to lash out as literal waves of energy or a death laser.

-Needless to say, Nox destroys that invading force single-handedly in a display not unlike the legends of Ragnarok or Armageddon, all while holding a Wall around the base. He then calmly turns, walks back to the base, asks if everyone is okay, and upon getting the all clear-

-Collapses. Straight up flops over into Axis’s arms while on national live television because someone forgot to eat anything today and spent most of the previous night fretting over nightmares or something (the rest of the world assumes he pushed himself way too far with that display, but really he could have done more if he hadn't already been tired/hungry and Axis knows it).

-For once, the media meltdown isn’t punctuated by frenzy but by a very, very fragile, frightened silence.

-It’s been ... a long time since a Lucis Caelum has Truly unleashed their power on the field and Nox is no ordinary LC.

-Clips of Nox’s stunt circulate for months, are analyzed by historians and doctors and talk show hosts for precedents and health risk and just sheer What levels. Social media ranges from cheering Nox on to snidely wondering why LCs aren’t doing that more often to a huge outpouring of concern for the prince who just fought off a literal army and then collapsed like he’d been decked in the head. The Hunter Corp all pool their resources together to get this idiot kid a care package, Cid probably comes over from Hammerhead to yell at him while Cindy bear hugs and cries all over his clothes.

-In Niflheim ... a lot of people are reevaluating their stance on the war. Because if that is what just one Lucis Caelum can do, then what’s going to happen when there are two of-age princes who are not chained down by the Wall?

-A lot of nobles in Lucis are also reevaluating their stances on the illegitimate prince, because UMMMMMM that’s the kind of thing that only happens in blockbuster dramas, and Nox did it in real life. More than that, he knew he could do it, as evidenced by how calm he was when he gave the order for everyone to stay.

-Lots of internet conspiracy/theory people try to figure out just how powerful Nox is and if he’s an anomaly in the bloodline because seriously can all LCs do that????

-A lot of people, for a lot of different reasons, are very, very scared of Nox now. Either because they still believe that GoT is inbound and that just put the kibosh on a lot of their rebellion daydreams or because Nox is already a wild card and now he’s proven that he’s a supremely dangerous wildcard.

-So basically, still a meltdown, but this one much, much quieter and more reverent.

-Assuming I ever do something like this in Nox versa canon, because I’m not sure I will.

[thecoroutfitters]

Written by Guest Contributor on The Prepper Journal.

Editors Note: Another guest post from valknut79 to The Prepper Journal. A subject close to my constant mantra, and one where political correctness has NOT been factored in to be “fair” or spare any groups feelings. The absence of disclaimers is intentional. As always, if you have information for Preppers that you would like to share and possibly receive a $25 cash award as well as be entered into the next Prepper Writing Contest with a chance to win one of three Amazon Gift Cards  with the top prize being a $300 card to purchase your own prepping supplies, enter today!

“On a warm spring night, after eating dinner with friends and deciding to do a little late-night dancing, a young lady walks across the top floor of a well-lit parking garage.  She’s tired, worn out from the night of dancing and to help combat her fatigue, one hand is carrying a latte from the local late-night coffee joint down the road while her other hand fumbles in her purse.

Since it’s the top floor of the garage, there are few really good places to mount a security camera, so the ones that do exist are not able to capture much outside of the fact that behind her, a black-clad man with his hood up approaches her from behind as she unlocks her car door, and attacks.  Within seconds, he slams the back of her head, knocking her unconscious with his blow, if not with the ricochet of her head against the roof of the car.  Picking up her keys off the ground, throwing her inside the car bodily, he’s driving off through the garage, and is out of camera range very quickly to do…well, just about anything he wants.”

While this is a fictional situation, it’s the kind of thing that I’m starting to think about now that my daughter is going to be attending college in the big city.  She has basic skills in martial arts, an interest based on an activity that I required of her when she was a young teen, but doesn’t have a firearm and doesn’t carry any weapons in her purse.  What can she do to prevent this kind of attack?

3 Ways to Discourage Street Attacks

#1 – Situational Awareness & Mindfulness

Millennials often get a bad rap for being too tied into their phone, but it’s not only them. People of every age do it and they need to beware of the risks of making their way through life oblivious to those around them.  In a world where any kind of media is immediately available through so many channels, it’s easy to put your headphones in and enjoy a little entertainment on those lonely walks down the streets.  I love podcasts myself, and I know how easy it is to get lost in what the hosts are discussing and become engrossed to the point of making secondary the thoughts about where you are, where you’re going, what you planned on doing, and how you’re getting there.

Situational Awareness is simply the act of being constantly aware of what is happening around you.  It is essential in any kind of potentially dangerous situation to be mindful of what is happening around you, keeping a clear head, focusing on the present situation and your present environment.  Use as many of your senses as you can – listen to the ambient sounds, notice the smells of your environment, put your eyes and your head on a swivel, looking behind you every thirty seconds or so, and more often if entering a new environment.

I used the word “mindful” in the last paragraph, because Mindfulness is becoming a part of the zeitgeist of modern life as well.  This age-old concept is very simply a set of techniques designed to help you focus on the present moment, and what is happening around you – very similar to situational awareness.  Looking up some simple mindfulness exercises like “leaves on a stream” or even practicing basic meditation is a good way to help build your tolerance for long periods of being in the moment.

In the above situation, the young lady who was attacked likely had no idea that there was someone else on the roof of the parking garage, much less that he was following her, even as closely as he would have had to in order to attack so quickly.  Having no situational awareness, and likely being lost in a world of her own thoughts or in cell phone music or audio programs was her first big mistake.  Had she been looking around, aware of her situation, and perhaps even made eye contact with the attacker on her way towards her car, she may have done enough to encourage him to choose a different target.

#2 – Providing Disinformation

If you were an attacker who wanted to prey on someone, would you choose a man or a woman to attack?  Young or middle aged?

Almost everyone would choose a young female. The reasons are simple – she’s less likely to have any interest in martial arts or combat sports, she’s probably smaller and less muscular than her male counterparts, she likely carries more cash or valuable jewelry, and is stereotyped as being more naïve by the media and society at large.  Whether any specific female fits those categories is unimportant, its true that the simple act of being a female makes you a bigger target.

Being a young female isn’t something you can control.  Or is it?

No transgender stuff here.  But it’s possible, highly likely even, that the attacker in the above situation has done at least a small amount of research on this car he found on the top floor of a parking garage late at night, and it’s surprising what you can figure out about someone based on their car.

Does she have custom vanity license plates?  If so, those are generally a strong indicator that this is a female, unless the plates say something decidedly masculine like “GUNDUDE8” or “PREP MAN”.  If he peeks inside and sees custom leopard print seat covers, a steering wheel cover, or fuzzy dice on the rearview mirror, then assumptions can easily be made.   Other information can be gleanes as well.  If he sees a Victoria’s Secrets bag in your passenger seat, then what’s he going to assume?  The contents of your backseat can tell a lot about a person.  Makeup bags, the presence of an infant car seat or a booster, bumper stickers – all of these things say something about you, and help attackers decide if you’re a good target. While they don’t all “scream” female, they do all scream “unfocused” or having their concentration distracted by errands, a child, whatever. We are all guilty of this, especially in places we have frequented where “nothing has ever happened.” Reality is it only has to happen once to be life altering.

The worst offenders of the car customization market are the stick figures that populate the back windows of far too many cars.  Sure, they’re kind of cute, but they give way too much information about who you are, who is in your family, their ages and their interests.  If you have a single woman with two children on there, chances are that you’re coming out to your car either alone, or with two little ankle biters who are occupying all of your attention.

The best tip I’ve heard for single young women who are at risk for being attacked near their car is to give would-be attackers plenty of disinformation designed to encourage them to choose a different target.  A big, well-worn pair of men’s athletic shoes in the back seat, or a duffel bag covered in visible weight-lifting patches and karate logos will go a long way towards indicating to any smart criminals that the person who owns this vehicle is not to be trifled with.

Bumper stickers are also a good way to dissuade people.  Pro-gun bumper stickers, particularly if they endorse concealed carry, are a good place to start, as are indicators that you’re interested in things like MMA, wrestling, martial arts, or bodybuilding, whether you are or not. I have heard the counter-argument, that people “looking for guns to steal” look for cars with an NRA sticker (USMC emblem, etc.) The normal pattern of such a person is to follow you home to see what house to target for a robbery, when they observe you have left the premises. Yes, most people like this have gun safes – do you put your bedside go-to weapon in your gun safe every time you leave your house?

Spiked dog collars are also a simple thing to throw in the backseat.  While that might not be something that will dissuade an attacker in the aforementioned situation, it will work wonders for dissuading attackers spying on your car in a park, forest preserve or who might be looking at your home as a potential target.

Use your normal routine and patterns to decide what kinds of things you want to decorate with, or stash in your car. Understanding the places where you’re likely to be attacked will provide the best understanding of what will work best for you.

#3 – Just do it

People who prey on others are often quite a bit smarter than you might think.  Most have done their homework, and having looked inside your car to find evidence that you may be a very strong male or have a very large dog, might be smart enough to avoid you as a potential attackee.  Despite this, an often cited fact about criminals shows that most crimes that are committed in the US are crimes not borne from passion or careful thinking, but simply crimes of opportunity.

The attacker in the situation above may have been in line behind her in the coffee shop and noticed a $100 bill in her wallet, and taken the chance to follow her.  He may have just been a normal guy walking to his own car when he had a desperate feeling that he could get something from her.  Sometimes, the criminals will ignore any evidence of misinformation you provide, or maybe they’ve cased your car before and seen through your deception.

Sometimes, you just have to fight.  Or at least look like you’re ready for a fight.

Many will advise keeping some kind of weapon in the purse, and it’s hard to deny that this would be a good idea, but I would adovcate that, if not well trained in the use of a knife, pepper spray, a pistol, or whatver weapon might make sense for a young lady to carry, that weapon will be useless.  It might also function as a distraction – it’s mere existance forcing the attacked person to spend valuable reaction time digging around for the weapon instead of running, adopting a defensive posture, striking back, finding some other form of help, or doing almost anything else that may be more productive in helping the situation.

Instead, the simple act of looking ready for a fight is good enough.  Stand up straighter when you walk, turn your head when you look, not just your eyes.  Proactively say hi to people on the street to indicate that you notice them, as this can unnerve criminals who are doing their best to avoid notice.

Remember that if the need arises to defend yourself, it is nearly impossible to do so without a free hand.  If you carry a purse, consider keeping your hand inside it as you walk, not fishing for anything, but as if you’re holding onto something.  The fear of the unknown weapon in your hand may do enough to scare someone off.

Anyone, female or not, would also do well to consider what kinds of objects that you keep on your person and how they may be used as a weapon.  Pocket knives are an obvious choice, but making a fist around your car keys creates a deadly combination of striking and slashing weapons that can do serious damage.  Aerosol deodorant or hair spray is not a great choice, but it can certainly burn the eyes of an attacker if you get lucky.  Using the small, rounded edge of a hairbrush as a striking tool can be helpful to those who don’t have a lot of experience using their fists to punch, and it will likely cause more damage if you don’t already have any martial arts training.

Before exiting the stairwell or elevator, this young women should have had her keys ready in her dominant hand, with the key poking out through her middle and index finger, her hand in a fist.  Even with an improper strike, this will cause damage to any attacker.  That’s a nice easy weapon to carry that will do the damage, doesn’t require specific training, and will help you stay safe out there in the big bad city. And for those of us with “electronic key bobs”, consider investing in some sharp jewelry/bottle-opener thingy’s to add to the key ring. Also, never forget your extended thumb forward when making a fist as this can be devastating to an eye, a throat, even a kidney. Then again, there is this.

  The post Never Be Situation Unaware appeared first on The Prepper Journal.

from The Prepper Journal Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag

[thecoroutfitters]

Kim Jong-un’s hermit regime in North Korea has been grabbing a lot of international attention lately, with their ongoing string of missile tests. He’s been launching a missile a week, with each of the latest ones performing better than its predecessor.

Kim Jong-un is not someone you’d want in charge of a country that has around 20 nuclear warheads. We have all the reasons not to ignore the North Korean nuclear threat, but to stay aware and prepare! 

Just a few short weeks ago I wrote to you that they had launched their first successful two-stage ICBM, which gave them enough range to reach Alaska and possibly Seattle. That launch has since been trumped by one with a potential range of 6,500 miles.

What that means is that Denver and even Chicago are now theoretically within reach of North Korea’s missiles. I say theoretically mostly because one launch doesn’t prove that they have a viable system.

Launching an ICBM and having it hit its intended target is one of the most complex undertakings mankind has ever done. So there may very well still be a host of technical details that North Korea has to correct before this can be called a viable weapon.

The biggest of those hurdles is mating a nuclear warhead to the missile. For this to happen, the nuke has to be “miniaturized.” While not on par with the type of miniaturization we find in modern electronics (like smartphones), compared to the original nuclear bombs, which were huge devices, they are tiny.

We know that North Korea has somewhere around 20 nuclear warheads; but we don’t know how big they are. So, while they are working hard on developing both their nuclear weapons program and missile program, we don’t really know if they are ready to mate the two together yet. But even if not, at the rate they are working, it probably won’t take them long.

There is also the issue of aiming the missile. While nukes make a big enough bang that being a mile or two off target really isn’t going to make much of a difference, a one percent error factor works out to 60 miles if they shoot at Denver from North Korea. That’s enough of a difference that chances are that the bomb would go off in some farmer’s field, rather than over Denver.

While these two issues are enough to cause North Korea considerable trouble, they have already overcome a number of monumental technical problems to get to where they are today. With their national policy of putting the military first, they are investing an incredible amount of time, effort and money into pushing towards becoming a nuclear power.

That alone would be something to be concerned about; but the real concern is the rhetoric coming out of Pyongyang, much of which is filled with threats to attack the United States with those nuclear weapons.

Video first seen on Fox Business.

Whether they are actually foolish enough to think that they could survive such an attack is, of course, at question. But it’s not one that we can afford to take for granted. When the discourse between countries centers around threats and counter-threats, it’s something that must be taken seriously. To do otherwise, is flirting with disaster.

You and I really don’t have much to do with whether there is an attack or not. Nor are we in the position to do much about intercepting those missiles, if they ever fly in our direction. The government has to take care of negotiations with North Korea and the military has to try to stop the missiles. We are incapable of doing anything about it.

But there are aspects of this in which we can and do have an impact; most specifically on our own ability to survive. Since we won’t be able to depend on FEMA’s assistance, we will have to depend on ourselves.

So, what are you and I to do?

If There’s a Conventional Nuclear Attack

While Kim Jong-un has not been specific about how he plans on using his nuclear arsenal to attack the USA, he has made it clear that he intends to. With no specifics given, it’s easy to assume that he is talking about taking out some major cities or military bases with a conventional nuclear attack.

That would be devastating for the lives of millions of people, but it would actually be better off for the country as a whole.

In a conventional nuclear attack, the missiles would most likely be aimed at major population centers. Which ones would depend a lot on the type of message he wants to send. If he wants to show off his military and technical prowess, he’d be more likely to pick targets that are farther from the launch point. But if he wants to do the most damage possible, he’d pick the largest population centers he can reach.

In either case, it’s not a good time to be living in a big city. If you do, you might want to consider moving if at all possible.

This smart device will help you slash an excess of 70% off your power bill overnight…

With a typical air burst over the center of a city, we could pretty much count on any major city being totally destroyed and everyone within a ten mile radius of the blast dying instantly. At a slightly larger distance there would be some who lived, but with major injuries that would shorten their lives and cause considerable pain.

A nuclear blast releases three major components of energy; heat, the shock wave (wind), and nuclear radiation. It is the combination of the heat and shock wave that will kill people who are closer in towards, the blast. The radiation will cause burns and sickness for those who are farther out, as well as those who are downwind of the blast, who must contend with the risk of fallout.

If you are actually far enough away from the blast that you see it happen, there is a fairly good chance that you will survive.

While the nuclear radiation will reach you instantly, it will take some seconds for the blast and heat to arrive where you are. This gives you a chance to seek cover. Ideally, what you want is something like a low concrete retaining wall, which you can lay down behind. You want to be cautious about buildings, as the blast wave can destroy them and the heat can cause them to ignite.

If you are in a building, you’re best off being in the basement, where you are protected from the direct force of the blast. But even in the basement there is a risk, as it could collapse upon you.

Once the blast has passed, you’ll need to move to a better shelter where you can wait out the fallout from the explosion. This means having a prepared shelter, preferably underground, stocked with enough supplies to meet your needs for 30 days. After the 30 days are over, it will be safe to come out.

If at any time during the 30 days you experience any symptoms of sickness, you should leave your fallout shelter and seek medical help. While it may not be anything serious, it could be the onset of radiation sickness.

There will probably be military hospitals established in the area, in addition to the normal medical services which are available. Any military or emergency service personnel could direct you to the nearest medical facility.

If There’s an EMP Attack

The bigger risk to us is if North Korea attacks us with an EMP. While a conventional nuclear attack will kill millions, an EMP would indirectly kill as many as 290 million people. The bulk of those people would die of starvation, but there would also be many who would die from the spread of disease or from the lack of medicine to treat their chronic conditions.

Ultimately, this is a much bigger catastrophe than the death of a few million people killed by a nuclear blast taking out a city. It’s also one that is easier to prepare for, giving us each a much better chance of survival.

Since generating an EMP by nuclear explosion requires exploding the bomb above the atmosphere, the energy leaves the bomb in its original electro-magnetic form. So there is no blast wave and no heat to contend with. While there will be nuclear radiation that reaches the earth, it will be dissipated across a large enough area that it won’t cause radiation sickness and there would be no fallout to worry about. The biggest thing we’ll all notice is a sudden loss of electrical power.

At first, hardly anyone will understand what has happened, as there will not be any obvious signs of the EMP, other than the loss of electrical power. Since communications will be down, we won’t have any idea that it is more than a localized event. Few will realize that communications are usually intact during a blackout, which should indicate that something more serious is happening.

By the second or third day after the event, pretty much everyone will know what had happened and will be trying to come to grips with the situation. Stores will be looted for whatever people can get and mass demonstrations will happen, with people demanding that the government take care of them. But the government won’t be able to help them. What’s left of the government won’t even be able to take care of itself.

This is the survival scenario that we are all supposedly working towards. Whether or not you believe that an EMP is a true risk to us, if you are working towards self-sufficiency you are preparing for it. More than any other scenario we can imagine, an EMP will require that self-sufficiency. The total loss of electrical power will mean that pretty much everything we depend on will be gone. We will be on our own.

That’s why it’s so important to develop a long-term survival plan. Just stockpiling food and water to get you through a few months won’t do it. For this scenario, you have to assume that the power won’t come back on and there won’t be any resupply. If there is, it will be far enough into the future that it won’t matter for the 90 percent of the population that dies.

More than anything, preparing for an EMP means developing the means to provide your own food, water and fuel, even after your stockpile runs out. Even if you have enough of a stockpile to last a year, it won’t be enough. Restoring some semblance of normality to life will take much longer than that year. But the year will be enough time to allow you to plant and harvest food to continue eating.

Your biggest concern during that year will be protecting yourself and your family from attack. All the starving people out there will be desperate and will be willing to do anything in order to eat. Killing you, so that they can steal what you have could easily be seen as a small price, when compared to their own lives.

While you might be able to fight off a small group of people on your own, you can’t continue to fight off attack after attack. You will need help. This is why it’s important to form a survival team; a group of like-minded preppers, who are all investing in surviving such an event. Together, your chances of defending yourselves and surviving will be greater than your chances will be alone.

The survival team also provides you with more hands to work together in the business of survival. While there will be more mouths to feed, there will also be more people raising food. Ultimately, this should work out to a more efficient operation, with greater harvests and more for everyone to eat.

But it will have to be carefully planned out. More than anything, you’ll need some sort of compound where everyone can live and work together. Unless you all happen to be neighbors, this probably means a place out in the country, where each of you build a shelter for your family, as well as communal buildings that you can use for meetings, storage and shared tasks.

This is the one error I have seen with most survival teams. While they might have a goodly collection of skills between them, they usually don’t have a good place to retreat to. But it’s one that needs to be resolved, if the team is going to be able to survive.

Take action on those, and you’ll be ready for whatever comes your way! Being ready to survive a blackout is one big step to take!

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This article has been written by Bill White for Survivopedia.

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